They are not bad fish at all. I wouldnt be afraid to put my whole arm in the tank with him. They only have teeth for grasping prey, not for attacking. They are social, and will cohab with fish that are too large to eat.
They do get a bad rap, and I don't get that at all. Here in WI they are grouped as "rough fish", which include fish like carp, meaning there's no regulations...you can go out and kill as many as you want all day every day without...same with bowfin...people see this label and assume that like other rough fish, that they are bad for the fishery and make up all kinds of stories to justify killing them. I've had long conversations with many a bow fisherman trying to get them not to shoot the gar...it was generally useless, their size and label make them great for target practice and showing off that you killed x amount of them because they are more difficult to hit because of their slim build.:wall:
Okay, not to rain on your parade, but you're going to either need some serious cash, or you're gonna have to give him up. Spotted gar get to 2-3 feet long, and are very vicious little fish. They need at least a 150 gallon tank, and that's just for one. A 200 gallon tank would be better.Just scored this beauty on craigslist. Its a Lepisosteus oculatus, or spotted gar. He is 14" right now, and will get 2-3'. I used to have a alligator gar years back, so i was very happy to find this one. And for $25 i was even happier! Right now he is homed in a 30 gallon, until i can get a spot rearranged, and my 75 gallon cleaned out and ready for him. So nice to have another gar finally! These are such great fish.
I believe he is aware of that and even says so in the OP but gar don't grow very fast as they are very good at conserving energy; this is why they are not a threat to game fish as A) mouths are too narrow to catch many of them and B) They just don't eat that much.
Gars cannot be fed standard fish food. They need to be fed actual meat. This means buying adequate size feeders, which can be pricey, not to mention the mess they make, which would require a massive filtration system, a form of canister filter at the bare minimum. Believe me, I wanted this fish so bad. But they aren't worth it unless you have well over a grand to spend.
I'm not assuming. I know he knows not to feed gar fish flakes. But not everyone knows this. And it can be expensive to feed them.
Still baffled, I think your ordinary citizen would know fish flakes are not the option to go with. Though as for food I'd stick to fish, mammal meat contains lipids that can be bad for them/they can't process. Which a cheap tank of live bearers can be set up and you can supplement with scallops, shrimp etc. I feel this could work but we shall see what happens.
I'm just worried about the fish. Because there are countless tales of fish hobbyists promising to do tank upgrades, but it never comes. I hope I'm wrong and he does do a tank upgrade.
